Keir-bleaching.



G. B. FLOOD.

KEIR BLEACHING. M'iLICATlON FILED MAY I7, 1112 Patented Jan. T, 1912).

3 SHEETS SHEET I.

G. B. FLOOD.

KEIR BLEACHING. APPLICATION FILED MAYH. 1918.

1,290,156. Patented Jan. 7,1919.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2- 5% J BY s. B. FLOOD.

KEIR BLEACHING. APPLICATION FILED MAYH. 1918.

1,290,156. Patented Jan. 7,1919.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3- GEORGE BURNSIDE FLOOD, OF NORTH ADAMS, MASSACHUSETTS.

KEIR-BLEACHIN G.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. '7, i919.

Application filed May 17, 1918. Serial No. 235,169.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE BU'RNSIDE Fnoon, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of North Adams, in the county of Berkshire and State of'Massachusetts, have invented new and useful Improvements in Keir-Bleaching, of Which the'following is a specification.

This invention particularly relates to a method of securing a constantly uniform action of the bleaching liquor upon the textile materials to be bleached within an ordinary bleaching-keir and to an apparatus for insuring'the practically continuous circulation of the bleaching liquor whereby such method may be practised.

In keir-bleaching as usually performed the textile materials to be bleached are deposited Within the keir in such manner as to constitute a mass filling the body of the keir laterally and resting upon a grating located near the bottom of the keir. The bleaching liquor with which the keir is charged at the outset of the operation, per colate s through the massof textile materials and drains away into a receptacle below the grating whence it is by suitable means returned to the upper part of the keir above the mass of textile materials. In accomplishing this circulation the bleaching liquor is commonly introduced at the top of the keir through a distributing contrivance which delivers it there in a spray. Provision is also made for the introduction of steam into the upper part of the keir to heat the bleaching liquor and thisvincidentally creates more or less steam-pressure above the surface of the liquid.

Heretofore there have been mainly em.

ployed three different modes of circulating the bleaching liquor by returning it from beneath the grating at the bottom of the keir through which it drains to the top of the keir above the mass of textile materials undergoing bleaching.

One. of these modes has been practised by means which characterize the well known injector-keir. so-called, wherein a jet of steam is discharged into a pipe leadingfrom beneath the drainage grating to the space within the top of the keir, and is projected in a direction'to force the bleaching liquor to return again above the mass of textile materials to be bleached. Sometimes more than one such return-pipe and steam injector have been provided;but the By another of the prior modes referred 'to, the circulation has been efi'ected by a double-acting pump which sucks the bleachmg liquor from a closed Well at the bottom of the keir below the drainage-grating and forces it into the top of the keir again. But this operation although performed by mechanism which is regular and continuous in its working is attended with serious drawbacks because it is independent of the work actually required to be done. It has not been found feasible to adjust the action of a suction pump in such manner as to maintain a Withdrawal of bleaching liquor from the bottom of the keir at all times equal in amount to the rate of drainage through the grating. Each successive charge of textile materials introduced into the keir has its own peculiarities of lodgment therein and its own permeability to the bleaching liquor; so that even when such textile mateto take care of all the drainage freely flowing from the grating when unobstructed below, the consequent flooding of the grating by the accumulation of liquid beneath it will check the percolation of the bleaching liquor through the textile materials and thus retard the action of the scouring process; and if, on the other hand; the capacity of the pump is such as to gain upon the rate of drainage the suction will finally come to be exerted directly upon the air-space below the grating and will by the partial vacuum created thereby solicit t'he percolation of the bleaching liquor through the mass of textile materials in such manner as to cau e. unequal flow therein along paths of relatively diflering resistance which will result in uneven bleaching showing itself in streaks upon the The operation of this pumping system.

of circulation is likewise attended with mechanical difliculties due to the corrosive action of the bleaching liquor in contact with the Working parts of the pump and resulting-in obstructions, leakage and other disturbances which require frequent and expensive remedying.

To avoid these drawbacks, still another mode of circulating the bleaching liquor has been adopted whereby the liquid draining through the grating is allowed to run off by simple gravitation through a duct provided with a check-valve opening outward into a trap from which it is periodically raised and discharged into the top of the keir, by steam-pressure acting as a gaseous piston upon the upper surface of the liquid contents of the trap. During this action and by reason of it the check-valve of the 'duct leading from the bottom of the keir is closed and the conditions beneath the grating remain undisturbed, except by the accumulation of drained liquor there.

But this mode of circulation as heretofore practised is necessarily intermittent, with intervals of cessation in the return of the drained bleaching liquor into the keir again, in each instance equal at least to the time allowed for charging the trap; so that corresponding fluctuations of very considerable extent occur within the keir in the quantity of bleaching liquor remaining in contact with and percolating through the mass of textile materials to be bleached; and consequently the rate of percolation is retarded and the duration ofthe bleaching process is greatly prolonged.

The object of the present invention is to obviate the defects of the prior modes of circulation referred t while retaining such advantageous features as either of them may have possessed; and this object is effected by a method and means which secure a practically continuous circulation of the bleaching liquor and therefore the maintenance of its quantity in contact with and percolating through the mass of textile materials to be bleached within the keir, substantially constant.

- The apparatus by means of which my ne method of keir-bleaching may be practised is represented in the accompanying drawings wherein Figure 1 shows the several constituents thereof in elevation with the lower portion of the keir broken away to exhibit the osition of the grate therein, while Fig. 2 and Fig. 3 show in detail the construction and arrangement of the mechanism for periodically opening and closing the steam-valves which control the pumping functions of the apparatus.

' The keir A is of ordinary construction,

provided with a man-hole B, spraying device C, boiling steam-pipes D having controlling valves 03, and drainin grating E. From .the bottom of the keir lead two separate ducts F and F, each of which terminates in trap G or G and contains a checkvalve H or H opening outward. Each trap G or G constitutes a liquid holding rethe spraying device C within the top of the keir. Each return-pipe contains at its upper part above the'level of its entrance into the top of the keir a check-valve J or J 'opening toward this entrance. A steam-pipe K or K extends from the to of each trap to a source f steam-supply lhot shown), and is provided with a valve L or L which is made to open and close for the admission and exclusion of steam at regular intervals of time by mechanical. connection to a uniformly rotating shaft in such manner that when the valve L of one steam-pipe K is opened the valve Lof the other steam-pipe K is closed, and vice versa; so that while the bleaching liquor which had previously flowed into one trap is by steam-pressure beingraised therefrom and discharged into the top of the keir, the bleaching liquor which meantime continues to drain through the grating is flowing into the other trap; and thus the circulation maintained by the entire apparatus is such that the bleaching liquor is returned to the top of the keir at a quantitative rate very closely approximate to the rate at which it drains through the grating whereby the quantity of bleaching liquor in contact with and percolating through the mass of textile materials to be bleached within the keir is maintained substantially constant.

A vent pipe M or M leads from the top of each trap into the upper part of, the circulating return-pipe I or I just short of the check-valve J or J to aid restoring the equilibrium of conditions within the trap after its liquid contents have .been discharged into the top of the keir and when such trap is due to receive again the inflow of bleaching liquor draining through the grating.

A pressure gage a upon a pipe communieating with the interior of the keir A is provided for nd cating the degrees of steampressure. therein and pressure gages g and g'are similgrly connected respectively with the'traps-Gand G; The charge of bleaching liquor may be introduced into; the-keir from below through the supplypipe N andmay be drawn ofi through the Waste pipes O, while the washing water is let in at the top through the pipe P and is delivered upon the mass of textile material through the spraying device C. Blow-off pipes Q are also provided for clearing the apparatus' The valves L and L which control the ad- Y mission of steam through the pipes K and K respectively to act as a gaseous .piston in each of the traps G or G, to raise and discharge the liquidcontents thereof into the top of the keir, and which after the performance of this function, again shut oif the access of steam to such trap, are preferably constructed as puppet-valves so arranged as to be normally aided to keep their seats by the steam-pressure'exerted upon them.

The valve-operating mechanism shoWn in Fig. 2 and Fig. 3 consists mainly of an electric motor R or some other suitable generatorof power adapted to rotate at a uniform speed a driving shaft S which through a train of reducing gears comprising the worm s and spur-wheel t upon the shaft u, the worm o and spur-wheel w upon the shaft 13. revolves two separate disks 3 and 3 afiixed to theshaft m. Each of these disks carries upon its face a series of tappet-pins z or 2 which are located both radially and angularly equidistant from the axis of revolution, and which as the disk revolves engage I successively with the upper surface of an opening of the other.

adjustable cam-piece T or T mountednpon a vertically sliding plate U or U and interposed in their path. This cam-carrying plate is 'fixed to the upper end of the spindle, of the valve L or L and as it is depressed it gradually opens such valve against the pressure of the steam, and when it is permitted to rise it allows the valve to close again. As

an aid to the closure of this valve it is pro vided with a spiral spring V, which is located beneath it in the valve-box and which tends constantly to urge it upward toward periodically caused to be opened and closed at regular and uniform intervals of time.

Moreover, this valve-operating mechanism is so timed in its action that neither of the two steam-valvesv thus controlled by it shall begin to open before the other steam-valve has become closed, and that as brief an interval of time as is practicable shall elapse between the closing of one valve and the But asthe rate at which the bleaching liquor dfrains away from the grating of the keir and flows into the trap which is ready to recelve 1t dltfers quantitatively according to the relative density of the mass of textile materials through which such bleaching liquor has had to per-' allowed to each of the steam-valves L and tilt wise vary in amount from one bleaching batch to another and will consequently require a correspondingly different time for its return intothe keir again. Hence, the period L for its operations from the beginning of its opening to the end of its closing should be suflicient to accommodate the maxima of such fluctuations in the liquid contents of the traps; and this allowance necessarily interferes to some degree with the attainment of entire continuity in the return of the drained bleaching liquor into the top of the keir under all conditions; but nevertheless by 4 careful and intelligent construction and preadjustment of the mechanism for operating the. steam-valves as hereinabove described the circulation of the bleaching liquor may be maintained, at a quantitative rate approximately commensurate with and for all practical purposes equal to the rate of its drainage from the mass of textile materials to be bleached in the keir.

It is obvious that the present invention is not dependent upon the specific construction of the steam-valves which control the pumping functions of the traps nor upon the specific construction of the mechanism by which those valves are automatically operated; provided, that such operating mechanism is efficiently capable of opening and closing such valves alternately and with periodic regularity, and that the valves themselves are suitably adapted to-let on and to shut off steam. under pressure.

Furthermore, it is likewise evident that the bottom of the keir might communicate with more than two traps such as those already hereinbefore described through an equal number of ducts each furnished with 105 its own check-valve. In that case the mechanism for operating the corresponding series of steam-valves would have to provide for opening and closing them successively in a regular periodic cycle; so that only one trap 110 at a time would be closed for performing its pumping function while all the remaining traps would be open to receive the free flow of the drained liquor gravitating into them. This plurality of traps and of their ap- 115 purtenances might enable the slight interruptions in the continuity of the circulation of the bleaching liquor when using an apparatus with only two traps, to be still further diminished; but it would hardly be at- 120 tended with practical advantages compensating for the structural additions.

In constructing the circulating apparatus herein described it is important that the traps be located with their bottoms on the same level and far enough below the level of the drainage grating in the keir to accommodate the flow of the bleaching liquor into each trap without rising to a height which would flood such grating; and thatli-m 50 fined, and then in conveying and delivering practicable to the bottom of the latter in order that at the close ofeach pumping action performed byeither trap the levelof the drained liquor may stand above the check-valve of the duct leading to such trapso as to prevent any vacuum arising therein by the condensation of steam, from belng communicated directly to the space below the drainage grating.

The circulating [apparatus thus constituted, by means of which the bleaching liquor as'it drains away from the mass of textile materials in the keir is caused to gravitate of itself, except as its flow may be influenced by steam-pressure within the keir, into separate receptacles wherein consecutive portions of it are respectively segregated and temporarily confined and are thence conveyed and delivered in practically continuous succession into the upper part of the keir, in such manner as to insure a circulation of the bleaching liquor at a quantitative rate approximately equal to that of its drainage and consequently to maintain substantially constant the quantity of bleaching liquor in contact with and percolating through the mass of textile materials to be bleached within the keir, efi'ects an economy in the operation of keir-bleaching which has never before been attained. Indeed in comparison with other keir-bleaching apparatus of the best construction and elficiency hitherto employed the apparatus herein described as embodying my present invention is able to accomplish equally good results in a notably much shorter time.

I claim:

1. In the process of keir-bleaching the method of maintaining substantially constant the quantity of bleaching liquor in contact with andpercolating through the mass of textile materials to be bleached within the keir, which consists in causing the bleaching liquor as it drains away from such mass of textile materials, to flow of itself by virtue of its own gravitationinto separate recep tacles wherein consecutive portions of it are respectively segregated and temporarily constant the quantity of bleaching liquor in cpntact with and percolating through the mass of textile materials to be bleached within the keir, which consists in causing the bleaching liquor as it drains away from such mass of textile materials to flow of itself by virtue of its own gravitation into either of two separate liquid-holding receptacles of which one or the other is always open to receive such flow, and then in raising and discharging the liquid contents of these receptacles alternately and successively into the top of the keir in such manner as to insure practical continuity in the circulation of the bleaching liquor at a quantitative rate approximately equal to that of its drainage.

3. In combination with a bleaching keir, an apparatus for circulating the bleaching liquor, comprising two separate ducts leading from the bottom of the keir below the draining grating, each provided with a check-valve opening outward and terminating in a trap which constitutes a liquid-holding receptacle entirely closed except in so far as. concerns the, tubular connections herein specified; a return pipe having its lower end open and located near the bottom .of each trap and its upper end communicating directly with the interior of the top of the keir; a steam-pipe extending from the top of each trap to a source of steam-supply and having a valve therein to control the admission and exclusion of steam; and means whereby the valves in the two steam-pipes are alternately opened and closed during predetermined and consecutive periods of time such that steam-pressure will be exerted upon the liquid contents of one trap to discharge the same into the top of the keir, while the drained bleaching liquor is free to flow into the other trap, and that after the valve in the steam-pipe of the first mentioned trap has been closed, the valve in the steam-pipe of the other trap will immediately be opened to efi'ect an exchange of functions in the cycle of operations. 4

4. In combination with a bleaching keir an apparatus for circulating the bleaching liquor comprising two separate traps each constituting a liquid-holding receptacle en- 11 tirely closed except in so far as concerns the tubular connections therewith herein specified and each standing where its liquid contents will normally be below the level of the drainage grating of the keir; both traps hav- 115 ing their bottoms upon the same level one with the other; two separate ducts leading from the bottom of the keir belowthe drain-v age grating into the two traps respectively and entering these as nearly as practicable to 120 their bottoms; each duct being provided with a check-valve opening toward the trap; a return pipe having its lower end open and located near the bottom of each trap and its upper end communicating directly with the 125 interior of the top of the keir; a steam pipe extendln from the top of each trap to a source 0 steam-supply and having a valve therein to control the admission and exclusion of steam; and means whereby the valves 13 in the two steam pipes are alternately opened and closed during predetermined and consecutive periods of time such that steam pressure will be exerted upon the liquid contents of one trap to discharge the same into the top of the keir, While the drained bleaching liquor is free to flow into the other trap;

and that after the valve in the steam-pipe of the first mentioned trap has been closed the valve in the steam-pipe of the other trap will 10 immediately be opened to efi'ect an exchange of functions in the cycle of operations.

GEORGE BURNSIDE FLOOD. 

